Why Melted Bugs On Candy And Lemons Fuel A $167 Million Industry | Big Business | Business Insider

Shellac is a natural resin that comes from tiny insects harvested off tree branches in India. Indians have valued the bug for 3,000 years for its versatility. Once processed and melted, shellac can be used as a powerful red dye, a glossy wood finisher, and a shiny coating to citrus fruit and candies such as jelly beans, Whoppers, and Junior Mints. But the farmers who have depended on these miniature bugs for generations say their crops are at risk.

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0:00 - Intro
0:59 - How Lac Bugs Are Harvested
2:48 - How The Factory Makes Shellac
5:31 - How Workers Use Their Teeth To Make Sheets
7:03 - How Shellac Became A Huge Industry
8:30 - The Future Of Shellac
9:58 - Credits

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#candy #shellac #businessinsider

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Why Melted Bugs On Candy And Lemons Fuel A $167 Million Industry | Big Business | Business Insider

[lucascoquelet]

I am a violin maker and I use shellac for the confection of alcohol and oil varnish.
This video helped a lot to understand the chain of workers behing these golden flakes.
Thank you 🙏🏼

[bobjohnson]

28 seconds in and we've gone from a guy stretching shellac with his toes to talking about how it's going to cover my jelly beans.

[mountaineergirl]

What I wonder is who first took the bug goo off trees, chopped it up, melted it, filtered it, put it on wood things and then said "hey I bet this will be great to eat!"

[ShrK]

Shellac is the most durable (and expensive) primer on the market. It will cover stains and smells that even oil primers can’t. We use it on smoke damaged homes and heavy cigarette smokers houses too. This stuff is absolutely essential in the painting industry. It blocks water stains and wood tannins better than any other primer and also dries the fastest, in about 15 minutes, because it is used with an alcohol base so it evaporates quickly. Super durable and has the highest adhesion on the market. It has also jumped up $50 a gallon from 2022 to now ($80-$130 CAD).

[justincase]

I’m 71 years old and have used shellac for years on furniture and never knew that my kids and grandkids eat it to on their candy! Didn’t know it came from bug poop either!

[Matt_win]

Proof that good marketing and packaging can make you eat anything, even bug shit with feet flavour 💀

[nerrade]

This is one of the most bizarre things I have ever heard. I've know shellac as a wood treatment for most of my life and I just figured it was a petrochemical. It's a bug excretion?!?! I have no words.

[moupal]

I am from India. It's a really good video on shellac. I live in a village which is famous for it.

[wrnppce]

Holy shellac… the amount of work that goes into something that is used in EVERYTHING!!!!

[BunkerSquirrel]

as a prolific enjoyer of bee vomit, I see no issue here.

[AEOHX]

props to the tree lady. you're the real MVP.

[threeohchris]

It blows me away that back in the day, people were able to go through processes to figure out how to get to shellac from a bug. Like, what initiated then to think hey, I bet if I do all of these steps in this specific order, I'll get a shiny hard shell. And that goes for a lot of other stuff that we have nowadays. Like chocolate and other items that require a specific item, a certain temperature for a specific amount of time, and this and that and different ingredients, in order to get to the point where you have a whole new product. It's just super interesting to me

[dejahdanger]

I had no idea that’s what shellac came from. Fascinating. I hope the farmers and producers can continue making it.

[Brandon-]

India: We use it for glossing furniture and clothing.
America: We use it for Food..💀

[dirty]

I’m a woodworker from FL I use shellac on most of the stuff I build I really appreciate the hard work that goes into making the shellac that I use every day I knew it came from a bug but I had no idea what went into making it now after watching this video I have a much more appreciation for shellac and what the people go through to make it. Thank you

[GhostsOfTheAngelcynn]

Going to show this my six year old. He'll soon stop wanting to go to the shop for sweets.

[OkeeeDokey]

I think I am way more impressed with the lady that climbed that tree as if it was just going for a walk.

[vbrown]

Wow. I just learned something I had no idea about. If you had asked me before where shellac came from, I would not have had a clue. This was so fascinating.

[ishanabhavsar]

That was so informative 🌷 Thank you business insider

[bobsagett]

As soon as someone slows down the boss man says “Stop Shellacing”